The history of car air conditioning is quite interesting and may go back longer than you might suspect. The journey from a retrofitted, inefficient device to a standard feature on virtually all automobiles is one that coincides with the history of home air conditioning.
Your car air conditioning on the Sunshine Coast should not consist of rolling down the window, especially during the heat of the summer along the Coast. If your air conditioning needs to be addressed, bring your vehicle to the experts at Harmac. They have the right equipment, tools, and experience to repair your air conditioning to stay cool during the summer.
Early Car Air Conditioning History
It was not all that long ago when rolling down the window was the only form of air conditioning available for vehicles. The history of car air conditioning starts in the 1930s when Packard introduced it for vehicles that they had already produced. Called “Weather Conditioning”, it was retrofitted, very large, with no thermostat, and not surprisingly didn’t work very well.
The Great Depression followed by World War 2 put a damper on the further development of the air conditioner for vehicles. But interest picked up in 1953 when Chrysler invented a boot-mounted system for retrofitting. However, it was the introduction of the Nash Ambassador in 1954 that was the first model to have a built-in air conditioning unit. The invention of the Kelvinator created the refrigerated air which is still the basic design used today.
Car Air Conditioning Today
The climate-controlled systems of the 1950s have been augmented considerably today. Thanks to the introduction on improved testing, thermostats, and computers along with better ventilation systems, the air conditioning in most vehicles produced today is far more efficient.
One of the biggest developments is the introduction of dual and even tri-zone systems that create separate environments within the vehicle. The technology used is quite impressive and sophisticated as it combines the condenser, compressor, receiver, evaporator, and expansion valve all controlled by a computer system to deliver different temperature environments within the vehicle.
The refrigeration unit turns gas into liquid which passes through the condenser along with fresh air. The heat is removed by the evaporator and the resulting cool air is filtered into the cabin through the ventilation system. The heater works the same way, although the process is simpler because the heat is generated from the car’s engine itself.
The Shape of the Car Cabin
You may think of aerodynamics as being what shapes the outside of the vehicle. It also shapes the inside of the cabin to maximize air flow. Proper aerodynamics combines with the right ventilation allows for the creation of different environment zones within the cabin. Computers are used to design the cabin and visualize the air flow so that the proper air conditioning system can be created.
The result is vehicles that offer one, two, or three different zones of climate control with more coming in future models.
If your car air conditioning needs attention, come by Harmac. Over the years, Harmac Auto Electrics has helped people just like you in the Sunshine Coast by fixing air conditioning systems on all types of vehicles. Make sure your car’s air conditioning is in good shape today by servicing your vehicle.